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CROPLETS DRESS by Michael-Birch Pierce and Molly Hobson
Shea, of hand-embellished cotton paper sequins with glass
beads and Swarovski crystals on cotton, 2012.
THE TREE brooch by Seungjeon Paik, of sterling silver,
twenty-four karat gold (keum-boo), wood, acrylic paint,
7.6 x 7.1 centimeters, 2013.
3D printers. MFA fibers graduate Michael-Birch Pierce
describes having access to these technological
innovations as highly interesting to engage with, using
them not to replicate results achievable with more
traditional tools, but to push new boundaries. "I think
the facilities here are insane. It's just astounding, the
technology that we have available to us, like laser cutters,
and digital printers, and Jacquard looms, and the
amazing computer labs. I think it's really interesting to
use technology for what it can do, and not for how it can
replicate old technology, or replace old things. So
instead of digitally printing something that can easily be
screen-printed, how am I going to use the digital printer
to do something that can only be done with the digital
printer, and how can I use the laser-cutter, not just
because I'm too lazy to exacto-knife something, but to
really produce a product that could not be made any
other way." He emphasizes that any piece of equipment
is free to use for any SCAD student, so long as their
professor signs off that it is for schoolwork.
The fibers department also has a good selection of
traditional equipment, such as two rooms full of four
and eight harness looms, and Dobby looms, as well as a
dyeing lab. The building is another renovation, and with
its red adobe-colored tiled roof and white walls is an
imposing and elegant structure.
Michael-Birch Pierce collaborated with BFA graduate
Molly Hobson Shea on the creation of paper sequins,
that were made through using a laser-cutter. Originally a
63 ORNAMENT 37.1.2013
order to develop it and increase their expertise. Bongsang
Cho, another alumnus who went through the Master of
Fine Arts program, remembers that course, Technical
Research, as being integral to his artistic progression. "The
class is self-study. The professor just advises the student
how to go deeply into the topic. For example, I brought
steel wire, and then I made something, but it's not
interesting, yet," he recalls. "I can do many things from
there. I take paper, cover the steel, and let the steel rust.
The rust color penetrates the paper, and I can see rust
transfer from the metal to the paper. So, I say, 'Wow, I can
do this!' and then I make a flower with the paper and it has
a steel wire construction imprinted on it."
Cho notes that this ability, to creatively innovate, is
central to being an artist, and that it is not easy. "So,
maybe it's very hard for some students because when
they reach their limits, they cannot develop more. The
teacher lets the student go further. When you graduate,
you have to figure out that problem yourself. I think the
class provides a really good solution for students."
The school's physical resources, in the form of its
extensive equipment made available to students in its
fiber and jewelry programs, are another compelling
factor for students choosing to attend SCAD. Both
departments are well-outfitted with traditional and
modern tools and machinery. A digital printer and a
computer-assisted Jacquard loom are examples of the
most contemporary acquisitions of fiber, while the
jewelry building houses two laser welding machines and